Fritschi Vipec review thread

[jacob_dbu]

I know there was some preliminary info earlier in this thread, but how do the Evos compare to the Blacks? I have skied the Evos but never even seen the Blacks.

Besides having to swap spacers is there anything wrong with the Blacks? Seems like I can get them cheaper and they don't have the toe fall issue.

[LeeLau]

I know there was some preliminary info earlier in this thread, but how do the Evos compare to the Blacks? I have skied the Evos but never even seen the Blacks.

Besides having to swap spacers is there anything wrong with the Blacks? Seems like I can get them cheaper and they don't have the toe fall issue.

They're effectively the same except for what you pointed out

[jacob_dbu]

They're effectively the same except for what you pointed out

Sounds like that almost makes Black > Evo. Except for people like you who maybe want to test 5 different pairs of boots in the same skis.

[summit]

Evo is easier to step into but has the toe punch fall issue.

[meter-man]

Anyone running Vipec blacks brakeless? Any issues? I think you have to mount the brake base (just no brake arms), but otherwise seems pretty straightforward. I'm thinking about trying to get it light as possible rather than replacing with a lighter tech binding. Will be on ZeroG 95s for late spring/summer, volcanoes, multi-day, etc...

Search ain't helping, so help a brother out.

[LeeLau]

Anyone running Vipec blacks brakeless? Any issues? I think you have to mount the brake base (just no brake arms), but otherwise seems pretty straightforward. I'm thinking about trying to get it light as possible rather than replacing with a lighter tech binding. Will be on ZeroG 95s for late spring/summer, volcanoes, multi-day, etc...

Search ain't helping, so help a brother out.

For sure it can be run brakeless - exactly like you described

[kid-kapow]

there is a nifty little kit including a leash that you can buy and install instead of the stock brake assembly - though to be fair, removing the brakes but leaving the plastic parts does pretty much the same thing. I mounted my bmt94s with vipec brakeless to save a bit of weight, yet retain their awesome performance



and yes, the evo's pins are different than the blacks. The latter is mounted on two levers giving a few mm vertical elasticity (assumed) whilst the latest evo model is more traditional pin tech (the initial evos were identical to blacks i think). I have skied the blacks extensively and really like em, so if you can get em cheap - go for it.

[NorCalNomad]

I've done it on my 2nd gen vipecs + a Dynafit leash. Fritischi has always said to make sure that plate that holds the arms is still there. I only run brakes now in the resort.

[LeeLau]

FYI I just found out that Fritsch Freeride brakes work fine on Vipec and EVO. Good cost savings because there are boxes and boxes of those brakes around in storage rooms

On left the FR brake with the mounting bracket. Just snap it out of the bracket and stick it in the Vipec/Tecton holder.



Another PSA. Remember to hold the brake down to ease it into tour mode and stow it away. The steps - use your hand to press brake into brake-pad; then engage tour mode lever at heel.

The Fritschi video saying you can hit the tour mode lever then stomp it down is WRONG. The BD advice to grease with white lithium grease or use some sort of silicone spray is WRONG. It'll work for a bit then snow will get in and strip all the lube away. All you'll do is break the brake pads. The BD/Fritschi spew that this is "rare" is BS> It's happening all too often and in the spring when there's more wet snow, ice buildup on brake pads it'll happen more

[Lord Thomas]

Do the Vipec Evo's come back unchanged next year? Think I read somewhere that they were making another tweak.

[NorCalNomad]

^lol

[1000-oaks]

FYI I just found out that Fritsch Freeride brakes work fine on Vipec and EVO. Good cost savings because there are boxes and boxes of those brakes around in storage rooms

Cool, wondered about that.

The Fritschi video saying you can hit the tour mode lever then stomp it down is WRONG. The BD advice to grease with white lithium grease or use some sort of silicone spray is WRONG. It'll work for a bit then snow will get in and strip all the lube away. All you'll do is break the brake pads. The BD/Fritschi spew that this is "rare" is BS> It's happening all too often and in the spring when there's more wet snow, ice buildup on brake pads it'll happen more

Don't understand how Fritschi can suggest just greasing it, something has to give for the brake rod to be forced into place when stomped. And it's not going to be the steel rod that gives, it'll be the plastic bits that holds the brake pedal down when in climb mode. There's no way the engineers intended the pedal to be stomped, unless they thought those side wings would flex outward enough. Doubt it though, that's really rigid plastic.

Edit: typo, wrong word

[HHTELE]

I just picked up some Evos, and did a swap, mounting my white vipecs on a pair for my wife. Encountered two issues:

1- the new evos came missing a part. Each brake assembly has got arms, and two medium size pieces that hold the brake arms. Then there is one small plate with two prongs. It is the smallest of the brake parts. Anyhow, one was missing. It looks like all it does is keep snow out of kind of a cavity. Other than dying, what will happen if I run without it? One was missing.

2- When remounted the older bindings, there was a huge amount of slop in the pins- both in her boots, and with my boots. By slop, I mean that the pins did not engage deeply into the sockets, allowing a very noticeable amount of lateral movement. I suspect it has nothing to do with the mount. Probably had been going on for a while and I didn't notice.
I adjusted the toe pin, and the slop went away. What gives?

[galibier_numero_un]

Regarding #1, are you talking about the smaller part in the linked photo? The little nubs on this part keep the brake retracted when in touring mode. Note that I'm working on the assumption that the Evo's brake assembly is the same as the Vipec Black's.



... Thom

[grinch]

I just picked up some Evos, and did a swap, mounting my white vipecs on a pair for my wife. Encountered two issues:

1- the new evos came missing a part. Each brake assembly has got arms, and two medium size pieces that hold the brake arms. Then there is one small plate with two prongs. It is the smallest of the brake parts. Anyhow, one was missing. It looks like all it does is keep snow out of kind of a cavity. Other than dying, what will happen if I run without it? One was missing.

2- When remounted the older bindings, there was a huge amount of slop in the pins- both in her boots, and with my boots. By slop, I mean that the pins did not engage deeply into the sockets, allowing a very noticeable amount of lateral movement. I suspect it has nothing to do with the mount. Probably had been going on for a while and I didn't notice.
I adjusted the toe pin, and the slop went away. What gives?

I’m not positive but
For
1. Mine came with blue plastic accents and 4 small black pieces so you can switch the blue accents to black. Purely aesthetic. Is it possible it’s those pieces?

2. Probably just needed the pins adjustment set for your particular fittings. Mine seemed to work fine for both my vulcans and lupo’s. I’m going to double check that now. If I find something I’ll edit

[HHTELE]

I’m not positive but
For
1. Mine came with blue plastic accents and 4 small black pieces so you can switch the blue accents to black. Purely aesthetic. Is it possible it’s those pieces?

2. Probably just needed the pins adjustment set for your particular fittings. Mine seemed to work fine for both my vulcans and lupo’s. I’m going to double check that now. If I find something I’ll edit

1- Nope- not the accents.


They are sending another. Those guys have truly great customer service.

2- Nope. That's what is weird. It worked the same as on my boot- the one I have been using with that binding. It is less noticeable when locked in to ski, and I figure I have been skiing them like that, but not noticed. Honestly, seeing all that slop, I don't know how.

Anyhow, I snugged the pins down a bit, and it looks good.

Are there particular tolerances or voo-doo I should be voo doing?

[grinch]

I’ve only had mine a couple days. Not fully versed on them. Great to hear you had , and they still have, really good cs. I’m sure someone here will chime in w beta on the toes but if not there is that cs

[hutash]

Got my snapped riser replaced by BD warranty, no issues at all just called then submitted a warranty online and the new piece arrived a few days later. Props to BD, but boo on Fritschi for such easily snapped parts.

Plastic is light, but not worth the wight savings if it breaks at an inopportune time.

[meter-man]

Went out today on my Vipec blacks for the first time this season. I have toured the last 20-25 days on Kingpins on my powder touring boards.

I know it's been said before, but damn, the difference between the Vipec's toe and the KP toe was night and day. Holy crap is the Vipec good on firm and refrozen, never mind smooth windboard and corn. The toe just feels so much damper (due to elasticity I presume) than the locked-in and harsh KP. Wow.

Makes me wanna get on Tectons...

[wolfelot]

I have the original 13/14 Vipec version. I’m meh on them.

Would the current Dynafit TLT Radical FT 2.0 Binding be an upgrade? I do care about my knees.

[SUPERIOR]

Have used the Vipec for two seasons both in and out of bounds near Jackson, WY.

Overall, I feel like the ergonomics of the binding are questionable. The skiing quality is fine, but I’m not a huge fan due to the fiddle factor of the toe pins and sliding heel piece.

Stepping into the toe has been consistently difficult over the course of 2x Vipec sets (white and black). It’s frustrating to see your friends ski away while you look like a noob trying to get the pins in the hole!

Have gotten plenty of “insta-tele” moments while skiing variable snow due to the sliding heel piece. Not ideal.

The reason I initially liked the Vipec was low weight w/brakes and the elastic toe release (which I thought would be much safer).

Turns out that I ski mostly BC powder and simply have not needed to release from this binder in a catastrophic fall. Call it luck, but I do ski this binding hard.

Picked up some 2017 Plum Guides this spring and they are much more solid in the toe piece. Clip in factor is 99%

Verdict: Plum = bomber metal construction compared to Fritschi Plastic.

[kid-kapow]

Are there particular tolerances or voo-doo I should be voo doing?

yeah, there is an easy way to find out if the front is set up correctly wrt pin length. If you press on pin assembly (press on the assembly at its base, using your thumbs, gain leverage from holding on to the opposing edge of the ski) to engage the elasticity in the front all the way, then the adjustment is correct if the assembly does not bind but moves/returns freely from full extension. If the assembly binds/locks in the other/outer position, then the pins are too long and need to be adjusted. If there is slop, then they are too short.

i dunno if that was clear as mud, but i am talking about this motion - starts at approximately 2min mark. The procedure is also described in the user manual i think if my memory serves me right.


other than that you should be good to go.

Would the current Dynafit TLT Radical FT 2.0 Binding be an upgrade?

i might be one of the larger proponents of vipecs and tectons on TGR, but i do not see how a Radical would be meaningful upgrade in any sense of the term. Sure, stepping in might be a bit easier, but to forgo the elasticity up front as well as the non rotating heel is not a worthy trade imo. The swiveling front binding of dynafit does not provide any elasticity, it just mitigates a design prone to faulty release. Unless you want to go for something significantly lighter (consider ATK bindings then, def best of class for that kind of bindings imo (or ATK labeled as Salomon/Atomic)) i would suggest you try a newer set of vipecs, either black or evos. For their use there is not better binding on the market imo - even if it is not perfect.

The skiing quality is fine, but I’m not a huge fan due to the fiddle factor of the toe pins and sliding heel piece. It’s frustrating to see your friends ski away while you look like a noob trying to get the pins in the hole!

Have gotten plenty of “insta-tele” moments while skiing variable snow due to the sliding heel piece. Not ideal.

i dunno man - the fiddle factor of rotating heel pieces has always seemed like the greater of two evils for me, but then i have never toured/skied with rotating heel designs. Again - i might be overly positive here, but i find operating the heel piece is just about as is easy as can be, and the sliding and non-rotating back piece makes for awesome power transfer i find. Getting in the front is not always a slam dunk first time around, but the other benefits of the design more than makes up for this short coming imho (like not even close).

i can see how you can get insta-tele moments on first/second generation Whites ( an issue that can be partially mitigated by re-mounting the mounting plate further back minimizing the opening that snow can enter when in touring mode at the expense of forward adjustability if on were to get shorter sole length boots) but insta-tele'ing on Blacks? How is that even possible? Honest question that i am very interested in hearing what you think cause it. I do not see how the Black design could cause insta-tele'ing unless due to some sort of user error (not claiming the this is the case) or some super duper light weight snow was to somehow make its way into the heel piece preventing a positive lock in the skiing position.

[wolfelot]

Thanks guys. Any other thoughts on the original 13/14 Vipecs vs current Dynafit TLT Radical FT 2.0? I bought them last night with free shipping and 6% ebates rebate. Isn't it the TGR way to cycle through gear? If I change my mind or have trouble selling the Vipecs they may go back before the return window closes. I know there may be better options out there, but I'm not keen on dropping $525+.

https://www.backcountry.com/dynafit-...5nLWJpbmRpbmdz

[SUPERIOR]

Actually, switching to the Vipec Black has resulted in much less prerelease issues with the heel track. So, Kid Kapow, you are correct!

I believe that stamping your heel down to lock in your touring boot in soft pow is the only real tricky situation where the system can get clogged with snow or ice and can prevent a 100% lock of the mechanism.

I bet it’s happened to me once or twice with the Vipec black and probably 5 or 6 times with the white version (over 2 years).

Also, I’m wondering if micro adjustments of the moveable toe pin could help the step in process. However, the manual indicates that loctite be used to set the nut in place, and I just haven’t wanted to fuck with it.

I’d like to try the Tecton in comparison.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[finishthepint]

So i'm pretty sure I got myself into trouble but just want to confirm. I mounted my Vipec Evos myself but I mounted the heel unit incorrectly. According to the video on youtube about making a jib for mounting vipecs (i'm not allowed to post links with my new account) the heel should be mounted between the heel plate front and the stop line...well after some forceful screwdriver-ing, that's exactly what i did. However, i think that's wrong and that it should be mounted between the back of the plate and the back stop line. The heel fits perfectly between the two stop lines. I'd post pictures but evidently my new account doesn't allow me to do that.

Can someone confirm this? That I need to move my heel plates forward by quite a bit?